Tag: chinese business culture

Are you considering going to China for some work and need to have your business cards translated? One thing you will need to consider is what your name will sound like to any potential business partners in China. You don’t want to give the wrong impression of who you are because of the name you are using to represent you.

You want to be respected and seen as the professional

you are, something a name can go a long way in doing. For example, if you work with Witzmani Dental Care (http://www.amazingsmilenyc.com/), you will want your name to represent the fact that you are a respectable dentistry practice, not someone that isn’t a professional within the business.

There are several important aspects of names in Chinese that are very important for you to recognize if you plan to do business in China. Keep these in mind if you want to choose a name that represents who you are and the respect you have for the country. Understanding more about names in China can help you on the way with that.

First of all, you need to know that there is a fundamental difference in how names are formed in the Chinese culture and in western culture. The main difference is in the order of the family name and the given name. Those of us from the west place the given name first and then our surname last. As an example, think of our former president, George Bush. In Chinese, the family name is first and then the given

name is last. One example is the President of China, Hu Jintao. Why would there be a difference? Many have speculated on that over the years. One suggested reason is because the order of the name can indicate values that are different culturally. Since ancestors and their origins are held as a high respect in Chinese culture, they put their

family names first. We in the West are more into individualism, so our given name is put before the name of our family. This knowledge alone can help the business person in China be more culturally sensitive, understanding more about how they view some of our cultural differences.

Second, understand that Chinese given names usually have meanings. Chinese characters that indicate something unique to parents are normally utilized to name their kid. One name is the name, Yi, which suggests “high spirit”. According to that name, the person is constantly in good spirits. The parents select a kid’s given name in various ways. The majority of times the parents will chose Chinese characters to share their desires or their expectations for the child. As an example, If you want your child to always remain humble, you may name them “Qian”; if you want them to live a safe life

that is relaxed, you may use the name “Ping”; if you desire that your child like a prosperous life, you may name them “Fu”; if you want your child to be perseverant and strong, you will perhaps like “Jian”. Some parents may name their child after hero if they don’t want to follow the common method. If that’s the case, the child would be given the same given name as the hero themselves. Occasionally, parents will utilize particular Chinese characters that are rarely utilized merely making their child’s name special and unique from others. No matter how they were named, chances are if you ask a Chinese individual concerning his or her name, you may listen to an appealing story. If you want to start up a friendly discussion, inquire about an individual’s name and what that name means.

You may be wondering how your western name would translate into Chinese. Typically, a foreign name is translated into the language based on its pronunciation by using the Chinese characters that they normally use to represent foreign names. Using this method, you will receive a name based on pronunciation only. Since you now know that Chinese names carry special meanings, you may desire to have a name that is more Chinese-like. If that’s the case, the translator may try to use Chinese characters that carry certain meanings yet still sound close to your name.

Remember that selecting names is in fact a specialized trade China. Choosing the ideal name is not a very easy activity. If you want to be more authentic, though, it may be best to have your translator work on developing a more Chinese-like name, instead of a transcribed one. That way, your name will sound more genuine, and you’ll have a good conversation-starter!